State Opens Trade Office In Mexico City

Florida opened a three-person trade office in Mexico City on Monday in an effort to boost the state's profile there.

Commerce Secretary Charles Dusseau said Florida exports to Mexico, dominated by phosphate ore, are not what they could be now that the North American Free Trade Agreement is in place.

"Obviously when Texas has $18 billion a year in trade with Mexico and we're at less than $1 billion, we're not playing in the same league," Dusseau said. But, there are plenty of good opportunities waiting for interested Florida firms, he said.

The office is the eighth foreign trade bureau Florida has opened, more than any other state, said Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay.

To help defray the cost, Florida is seeking 20 corporate partners to contribute $5,000 each toward the opening. A base of $75,000 has been appropriated by the Legislature, Dusseau said.

Monica Bleakley, an account executive at Latcom Inc., of Miami, said having an official state office reassures potential business partners in Mexico City. "It makes them more confident in the organization," she said.

Latcom, which has 20 employees in Miami, arranges telecommunications trade shows and conferences. It is one of three entities that have agreed to underwrite the trade office.

The Florida Ports Council and the Fort Lauderdale law firm Becker & Poliakoff are the others.

Dusseau said the state doesn't expect a problem getting 20 sponsors. He said they would get no special treatment. "There's really no specific quid pro quo."

Florida officials are eager to get small business involved in overseas trade.

"It's a lucrative game with too few players," Gov. Lawton Chiles said. The new bureau can give Florida firms a branch office in Mexico City, Dusseau said.

Through it, small businesses "can set up opportunities with potential representatives or joint venture partners," he said.